Even though I have on occasion made comments about a new book I read, in this post I want to make some observations about a movie I saw today. I certainly am not in any way a film critic, but I enjoyed the movie enough to share some of my thoughts about it with readers.

This afternoon my wife and I went to see the new Clint Eastwood film Cry Macho. I knew that the theater for a 12:05 showing on a Thursday would not be crowded and it wasn’t. Altogether there were four of us in attendance.

Having seen Cry Macho I can say with confidence it is worth seeing. I think I have probably seen all of Eastwood’s movies, and this one is unlike any of the others I have seen. It’s not a typical western or about a police officer and there is no shooting of guns, but the ninety-one year old is still an interesting character as a retired rodeo star.

The plot is about Eastwood’s character (Mike) paying back an old friend by going to Mexico City to bring back his friend’s son—Rafa–who is with his mother. Rafa agrees to go with Mike and the bulk of the film is about their journey back to the Mexico/Texas border.

Unlike many of Eastwood’s previous films, this one is unique. Obviously he is older in this one than the others and the setting is 1978. For me Cry Macho was heartwarming and I saw Clint Eastwood playing the part of a gentle and caring old man. Mike was not only caring and gentle with a widowed mother and her children, he also was both gentle and helpful with a variety of animals.

Of particular interest to me was when Mike and Rafa were going to sleep and Rafa asked Mike if he believed in God. Even though it was brief, I thought the exchange was interesting.

The ending of the movie was quite brief and left me wondering about the ultimate outcome of what Eastwood’s character pulled off for his friend. I wish the film would have lasted a little longer to tell us more about what happened next for the two main characters: Rafa and Mike.

If I were a real film critic I would suggest five stars for Cry Macho, but I’m not a real critic. But for me, if Cry Macho is the final film for Clint Eastwood, I’m glad his last piece of work is as good as any of his others.  

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